Lot 27
  • 27

K. G. Subramanyan

Estimate
18,000 - 25,000 GBP
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Description

  • K. G. Subramanyan
  • Untitled (Reclining Woman)
  • Signed in Tamil, lower left
  • Acrylic on board
  • 69.9 x 74.9 cm. (27 ½ x 29 ½ in.)
  • Painted in 1980

Provenance

Private Corporate Collection, India

Saffronart, 15 February 2014, lot 11

Condition

The work is in good condition, as viewed. There is very minor hairline cracquelure and a small speck of loss visible in the upper right corner upon very close inspection. Under UV light, minor spots of retouching, which is restricted to the right edge of the work.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

“Is modernity in art a matter of style (meaning a manner of statement) or a matter of attitude (meaning a new set of terms of reference to art activity itself)? That the modern artist has often come to cherish the values he has discovered in his historical artifacts… A work of art is no more a functional object; it is an object with a voice; and it does not any more offer itself discreetly or passively to the respondent, it plucks at his guts. If this is an acceptable enunciation of the modernity of the modern art a modern artist naturally cultivates such a language” (K. G. Subramanyan, The Living Tradition: Perspectus on Modern Indian Art, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, 1987, p. 83).

 

 

Kalapathi Ganapathi Subramanyan was an art historian, scholar, prolific writer, teacher, sculptor and distinguished painter. Subramanyan worked with a range of media including glass painting and weaving. His art is a product of his in-depth knowledge of a variety of ethnographic artistic traditions, coupled with popular Indian myths and folklore as well as western Modernist tradition.  He was influenced by cloth patas and the Kalighat school of painting, but his methods of intricate ornamentation derive from classical Indian miniature painting which he merged with modern influences, most notably the work of Pablo Picasso. This vibrant fusion of cultural stimuli results in fabled, fantastic imagery that is both modern and indigenous. Subramanyan draws upon his multifaceted expertise to create unique combinations that challenge perceived notions of contemporary art, combining his skills and the subject matter to create universally appealing art. This work features a dynamic female figure interacting with her space and calls to mind the depictions of Picasso’s women. One can see the thick line work and the cubist influences that inspired Subramanyan, as evidenced from Picasso’s Buste de matador. This exemplary painting is a strong example of Subramanyan’s mastery with every medium.

 

‘Most of the time the compulsive synergy of his line and colour have a life that is indispensable to the subject being portrayed. The seemingly loose and certainly lively stroke that can even be lush, engages one further as the artist brings together his ‘waywarldly’ real and imaginary images in a kind of graphic, at times subversive projection, caught mid-shot, then fractured in its dispersions’ (Kamala Kapoor, K. G. Subramanyan: Recent Works, Mumbai, 2003, unpaginated).